[Time Travel in Kanagawa] Autumn Traditional Performing Arts 2023: Takigi Noh, Yamakita no Omineiri, Bunraku Puppet Theater

In the fall of 2023, a variety of traditional performing arts performances were held in Kanagawa Prefecture. These included Takigi Noh, a bonfire-lit performance dedicated to the Bunraku tradition, and folk performing arts commemorating the Bunraku Association's registration as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Bunraku puppet theater will be bringing you a look at the Bunraku Association's 60th anniversary performance.
Top image: © Shinji Aoki

Kamakura Noh, with its long history following that of Nara and Kyoto.

Photo courtesy of Kamakura City Tourism Association

"Kamakura Takigi Noh" is a Shinto ritual Noh performance that has continued for over half a century since its first performance in 1959. The venue, Kamakura-gu Shrine, is a shrine founded in 1869 by imperial decree of Emperor Meiji, and is commonly known as "Otonomiya" or "Daitonomiya." It enshrines Prince Moriyoshi (or Morinaga), a son of Emperor Go-Daigo.

This year, for the 65th edition, a special outdoor Noh stage and general seating areas were set up for the first time in five years.
The program includes three works: the Noh chant "Okina," a celebratory piece performed only on special occasions; the Kyogen play "Rokujizo," a chaotic and humorous play in which three actors portray six Jizo statues; and the Noh play "Hōkasō," which features a tense Zen dialogue alongside the arts of kusemai (dance), kakko (drum), and kouta (short song).

As dusk falls in the forests of Kamakura, you can enjoy a wild and rustic Noh performance, surrounded by the sounds of insects and a gentle breeze. This year's Kamakura Takigi Noh, featuring leading performers from the Noh world, promised to be another spectacular evening.

[The 65th Kamakura Noh Performance]
• Date and Time: Friday, October 6, 2023, 18:00-20:30 *This event has ended.
Venue: Kamakura-gu Shrine, Special Stage [154 Nikaido, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture]
• Program: Noh chant "Okina" by Konparu Norikazu (Shite role, 81st head of the Konparu school)
Kyogen play "Rokujizo" (Six Jizo Statues) performed by Mansai Nomura (Kyogen actor, Izumi school)
Noh "The Dismissal Monk" Yasuaki Konparu (Shitekata, Konparu School, 80th generation)
• Website here

A two-day performance of the Oyama Fire Festival Noh

The Oyama Fire Festival Noh performance is held annually for two days in early October at the Oyama Afuri Shrine in Isehara City. This performing arts ritual, which is said to have originated from Oyama Noh which was created about 300 years ago, is designated as an important cultural property of Isehara City.

In the Noh theater, surrounded by the natural beauty of Mt. Daisen, a shrine maiden in a hakama (traditional Japanese trousers) offers a sacred fire, and bonfires are lit to illuminate the stage. With the lush greenery of the trees as a backdrop, the atmospheric space is set, and preparations for the Fire Festival Noh, a quintessential autumn event of Mt. Daisen, are complete. This year, the 42nd time the festival has been held, it was unfortunately rainy on the second of the 4th October, but many people visited on both days and were captivated by the mystical world.

[42nd Great Mountain Fire Festival Takigi Noh]
• Date and Time: October 3rd (Tue) and 4th (Wed), 2023, 16:30-19:30 *This event has ended.
Venue: Oyama Afuri Shrine Office Noh Theater [355 Oyama, Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture]
• Performance schedule: Opening day (October 3rd)
Noh play "Aoi no Ue" by Kanze Seiwa
Kyogen play "Sohachi" by Tojiro Yamamoto
"The Old Man Who Lived Alone" by Saburota Kanze
Noh dance "Dokan" by Kimitake Ueda
"Tenko" Chitoshi Matsuki
Day 2 (October 4th)
Noh play "Kiyotsune" by Kanze Saburota
Kyogen “Fushi” Norishige Yamamoto
“The Alone Old Man” Yaemon Yamashina
Noh play "Dokan" by Kaku Koji
"The Net Section" by Shigeyoshi Asami
• Website here

The tradition of the Omineiri pilgrimage in Yamakita is preserved through UNESCO registration.

"Yamakita no Omineiri" is a folk performing art that has been passed down for generations in the Kyowa district of Yamakita Town in western Kanagawa Prefecture and is designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. In November 2022, it was decided to register it as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage as one of the Furyu Odori (elegant dances) that continue to reflect the history and culture of the region, and a commemorative performance was held on October 8th of this year.

It is believed to be a theatrical adaptation of the rituals of Shugendo (mountain asceticism), and has only been performed 20 times in the last 160 years or so. The performances, consisting of 11 acts across 8 categories, including stick dancing, procession, and purification rituals, have all been passed down orally. For this 21st performance, more than 80 men, ranging from elementary school students to the elderly, played roles such as Tengu (mythical creature), lion, Okame (female mask), mountain ascetic, drummer, and flutist, marking a new chapter in its history.

[Yamakita's Omineiri Commemorative Performance]
・Date and time: October 8, 2023 (Sunday)
Ceremony 9:10-9:40 / Commemorative Performance 9:50-11:00 *This event has ended.
Venue: Yamakita Town Kawamura Elementary School Ground [1002 Yamakita, Yamakita-cho, Ashigarakami-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture]
• Website here

[The journey and performances of the "Kanagawa Classical Project"]
・Date and time: February 11, 2024 (Sunday/Holiday)
"Journey" 11:30-12:00 / Performance 14:00-
• Venue: "Michiyuki" Ebina Station Free Passage [3-3 Megumi-cho, Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture]
"Performance" Ebina City Cultural Hall [6-1 Megumi-cho, Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture]

The exquisite art of puppetry that infuses life into the performances: Bunraku puppet theater

© Shinji Aoki

On October 15th, there was a performance of Bunraku, a classical Japanese performing art that is also a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and a source of national pride for Japan. As part of a nationwide tour commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Bunraku Association, two performances, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, were held at the Kanagawa Prefectural Youth Center in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

The evening performance I attended was "Katsuragawa Renri no Shigarami," a type of domestic drama that deals with the world of ordinary people. Since the story involves a complex web of romantic relationships between men and women, I bought a pamphlet at the shop and studied it while waiting for the performance to begin.

Bunraku puppet theater is a form of puppetry that adults can enjoy, and it is performed by a tayu (narrator) who freely recites the characters' lines, emotions, and scene developments, a shamisen player who sits next to the tayu and expresses the scenery and psychology of the characters through sound, and a puppeteer. When the tayu, shamisen player, and puppeteer work together in unison, they breathe life into the puppets and the piece comes to life.

When the curtain rises, the puppets and puppeteers stand at the front and perform, while the narrator and shamisen player sit in a formal kneeling position on a sub-stage called the "yuka" on the right, occasionally leaning forward to narrate the story with their voices and shamisen music. This time, the audience was also very close, making it a truly captivating performance.

When you see the puppets in person, you realize their heads are small and their limbs are long, making them larger and more impressive than you might imagine. Three puppeteers—the main puppeteer who handles the head and right hand, the left-hand puppeteer who handles the left hand, and the foot puppeteer who uses their feet to express things—manipulate a single puppet with such grace that it's mesmerizing to watch. It's a moment where you can feel the charm of traditional art and the profound depth backed by its history.

At the start of this performance, the narrator gave an explanation focusing on the plot, and during the performance, illuminated subtitles were displayed on the left side of the stage. In addition, there was an exhibition in the lobby introducing Bunraku puppet theater, including panels showing highlights and videos of the performance, making it possible to feel closer to this classical performing art.

[Bunraku Association 60th Anniversary Commemorative Event: Bunraku Puppet Theater]
• Date and Time: Sunday, October 15, 2023, Afternoon show starts at 13:00, Evening show starts at 17:00. *This event has ended.
Venue: Kanagawa Prefectural Youth Center, Momijizaka Hall [9-1 Momijigaoka, Nishi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture]
• Program (Daytime performance) Explanation [Focusing on the synopsis]
Yoshitsune Senbonzakura
The Shiinoki (chestnut tree) section, the sushi shop section
(Evening session) Commentary [Focusing on the synopsis]
Katsuragawa Renri no Shigarami (Katsuragawa Fort)
The Rokkakudo scene, the Obi-ya scene, the Michiyuki Oboro no Katsuragawa
• Website here

Text by Mai Shimura (Editor/Writer)